Topic: Solar sensor compared with UV sensor

[JayW]

What would be the use case for a solar sensor compared to a UV sensor?

I always assumed I'd need a UV sensor, but I've read in these pages that a solar is more useful (or, perhaps, "cheaper?"). What are they individually good at?

[johnd]

It's basically about which part of the sun's spectrum the sensor responds to.

The 'solar' sensor responds primarily to the visible wavelengths of light and, to a limited extent, into the infrared. It provides a broad measure of the energy in the solar output and is used for such things as correlating with solar panel performance, plant/crop growth and the traditional weather measure of 'sunshine hours', ie crudely how sunny the weather has been.

A UV sensor responds only to the UV wavelengths and its primary use is in health applications, eg warning against sunburn risk. But there may also be supplementary applications for UV readings where eg in assessing materials degradation in sunlight which may be caused largely by the UV wavelengths.

[JayW]

It's basically about which part of the sun's spectrum the sensor responds to.

The 'solar' sensor responds primarily to the visible wavelengths of light and, to a limited extent, into the infrared. It provides a broad measure of the energy in the solar output and is used for such things as correlating with solar panel performance, plant/crop growth and the traditional weather measure of 'sunshine hours', ie crudely how sunny the weather has been.

A UV sensor responds only to the UV wavelengths and its primary use is in health applications, eg warning against sunburn risk. But there may also be supplementary applications for UV readings where eg in assessing materials degradation in sunlight which may be caused largely by the UV wavelengths.

Thank you. Living as I do in the southern US and more concerned about health than garden, then I believe I need a UV sensor more.

[KenW]

Kindergartens local to me (at least) use the UV index to decide whether kids need to be wearing hats outside.

[92merc]

The UV is definitely a good thing for the health risks.  But software like WeatherDisplay uses the Solar sensor to determine what name it should give the sky's such partly cloudy or mostly sunny.  It also uses it to calculate number of daytime sunlight hours.  It can also be used for software to calculate the TSHW factor. 

[JayW]

I have always presumed that it was UV radiation that degraded the chlorine in our swimming pool. That, and skin protection, was why I was leaning towards a UV sensor, but I thought I'd better check. Thanks.

[broadstairs]

The other thing to remember about a solar sensor (at least the Davis one) is that it measure GLOBAL solar radiation not DIRECT solar radiation, there is a significant difference and those that measure DIRECT are vastly more expensive. This is a subject which comes up often when looking at the measured values of the Davis solar sensor and sunshine hours calculations.

Stuart